Ishindenshin
by SilverHerring
Summary: When two people have been knowing each other for so long, even a couple words are more than enough. Minamo/Yukari, one-shot.


**ISHINDENSHIN**

An Azumanga Daioh fanfiction

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"Damn it Nyamo, are you trying to let me freeze to death?!"

"Sorry, sorry." She stepped aside to let Yukari in. "I was on the phone when you rang the bell."

"Ooh, and who was it?" The brunette made it through the hall, tossing her coat to the side. "I swear, if you're trying to get more wooden animals from your relatives I'm gonna hurl them at you as soon as they're shipped."

Minamo sighed. "No, nothing like that.", she said dismissively. She really didn't feel like starting that argument all over again.

"Uhmpf, good." Yukari turned around and pushed her discarded scarf to her. The faint smell of alcohol in her breath was a giveaway of where she'd been up to that moment. "Now go heat up the water, I want to soak in for a little while. And take out those fancy bathing salts you have. You never use them anyway."

Yukari was already gone in the other room before she could even think of a comeback. She frowned for a moment, then shrugged and proceeded to fulfill her orders. It's not like she even asked Yukari why she was there in the first place, so much she was used to her old classmate's random intrusions.

When Minamo knocked on the bathroom door and walked in carrying the towels and everything, Yukari had already disposed of her clothes and thrown them in a corner of the room, and was sitting on the edge of the tub.

"Ah, wait a minute, I haven't checked the water yet, it might be too hot."

"Meh. I'm a big girl, I can take it." Yukari said, kicking her feet up and lowering herself in the water. The squeaks and wailing that came after that made Minamo shake her head. "I told you. Don't be surprised if I'll mistake you for a lobster in a little while."

"Oh, shut up, you gym teacher.", Yukari blurted out, only her head poking out of the water. Minamo just shrugged the deadly insult off.

"So, what were you doing?", she asked while looking for the requested salts. "Gone drinking your butt off again?"

"I'm just a little bit tipsy…", she pouted. "…Truth be told, even my darling imported whiskey tasted bitter today."

"That's new…", Minamo smirked, "I haven't seen you in a sour mood for a while now, what with your boyfriend and…"

"He dumped me.", Yukari replied flatly, the whiny undertone she had in her voice up to then suddenly gone.

A heavy silence hung between them for a few seconds, before that statement fully sank in.

"…Oh." Minamo muttered, forgetting for a second what she was doing. "Well… why did he do that?"

"Aahh, I don't remember anymore…" Yukari shrugged, rolling around in the tub. "Some stuff about how he can't give me enough attention with his work and all…" She sat up, water splashing around. "I still don't get it, we were doing more than fine up to now… I thought…"

"Oh, I know that much.", Minamo turned around and rested her back against the cabinet. "You've always been 'Kenji this, Kenji that' in the past two months."

"Don't remind me.", the brunette mumbled. The hint of pleading in her tone made Minamo bite her lower lip. It was more serious than usual this time.

"Okay… I'll join you." Minamo pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it in the heap of Yukari's clothes. She took Yukari's silence as an acceptance of her offer, so the rest of her garments followed suit.

Yukari pulled her feet up a little to make room for her friend as she sank in the water.

"So, uhm… anything you feel like talking about?", Minamo asked after a while.

"Not really." The brunette replied meekly. The raven-head closed her eyes and tried to muster up a pep talk of some sort, trying her best not to sound bitter. "Well, I never liked that guy from the start, and if you want my opinion I…"

She was cut off as Yukari stumbled across the tub and went to settle in her lap. "Wha… hey."

"It's funny, you know…", Yukari began absentmindedly. "Every time I get interested in a man, I wind up hanging out with you… if this keeps going on we're gonna get married."

Minamo paused and got wide-eyed for a moment. "Heh…", she gave a hesitant smile. "That's pretty…"

"I know. Lame.", Yukari finished.

"… That's not what I meant."

"…But, you know…", Yukari continued, "I feel like you're the one who's getting hurt the most… because I know I won't be here for long anyway." She held her friend closer. "When it comes down to this, it's the one part of me I really hate."

"Yu…Yukari…". Minamo was definitely taken by surprise, both by the brunette's words and the fact that she… knew.

"Minamo…" Yukari looked pointedly at her, eyes a bit wider than usual and lips slightly parted. Minamo suddenly felt her throat go a little dry.

"Uh… yes?" She murmured, finding the fact she was being called by her real name confusing but not unpleasant.

"Can I just… stay here like this?", she rested her head on her chest. "Just… let me stay like this for a while."

For as long as I can manage.

She kept that one to herself, but Minamo somewhat knew that's what she meant.

Minamo slowly put her arms around her and sighed. "You… even if you happen to let go, I won't… you hear me?"

Yukari fell quiet for a moment, then gave a light chuckle. "You're… pathetically kind, Nyamo."

"Yeah, I know."

To be fair and honest, Yukari really felt like crying in that moment. The only reason that kept her from doing so was that it would have been "totally uncool".

Minamo tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling, while their body warmth mingled together. She didn't even want to think about how she was going to be red and pruny in a while.

"Peace is so overrated anyway."


End file.
